Last Updated On 08 Sep, 2020
Executive Chef is the leader of all the cooks and culinary assistants working inside a restaurant’s kitchen. He is in charge of everything that goes out of the kitchen. An Executive Chef is responsible for overseeing some of the administrative tasks involved in running a restaurant and establishing a cooperative relationship with team members. He also manages the work of line cooks and sous chefs. An Executive Chef participates in creating new dishes, planning menu, overseeing kitchen expenses and ensuring the quality of food.
His major duties include ensuring all food safety regulations, modifying the menu and coordinating with the kitchen members. An Executive Chef also hires and train the new kitchen staff members. Some of the Executive Chefs are specialized in a certain type of cuisine such as the Mediterranean, Ethnic, American or Asian.
Check some major responsibilities of an Executive Chef provided below.
Supervising kitchen staff’s activities
Recruiting and managing kitchen staff
Ensuring hygiene standards and proper grooming for all kitchen staffs
Interacting with guests to collect feedback on food quality
Maintaining Quality levels of storage, receiving, presentation, production of food
Keeping time and payroll records
Estimating food requirements and labour/ food costs
Ensuring all products are prepared in a consistent manner
Modifying menus or creating new ones that satisfy quality standards
Candidates who wish to become an Executive Chef will have to meet the eligibility criteria decided by the hotel. They can check the eligibility criteria to become an Executive Chef provided below.
Education Required |
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Work Experience | 5+ years of experience in hotel management or any relevant field is required |
Skills | Provided below are some skills required for Executive Chef
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You can check the table provided below to know some of the courses that you can pursue to become an Executive Chef. The table also includes the total fee and the top colleges offering these courses. You may apply for these courses by filling our Common Application Form.
Course | Total Fee (Approx) | Top Colleges for Culinary Arts |
INR 40,000 to INR 3.00 lakh | ||
INR 40,000 to INR 5.00 lakh | ||
INR 10,000 to INR 3.00 lakh | ||
INR 65,000 to INR 2.90 lakh | ||
INR 60,000 to INR 3.00 lakh |
Executive Chef is one of the important job positions in any hotel. His job responsibilities vary from hotel to hotel. He is responsible for enhancing the productivity of kitchen staff such as culinary assistants, sous chefs, cooks, and even dishwashers. Most of the Executive Chef work around 12 hours a day. Duties of an Executive Chef are not just limited to the kitchen as he also has to manage some work outside the kitchen such as hiring staff and reporting to the head restaurateur. Some of the major profiles available for an Executive Chef are provided below.
Head Chef
Restaurant Manager
Line Cook
If you want to know what profession is perfect for you, you can take our Career Profiling Test. Besides this, you can ask questions about a career as an Executive Chef on Collegedekho QnA zone.
There are many employment opportunities available for an Executive Chef. He can apply to restaurants, spas, convention centres, resorts, hospitals and medical centres, corporate facilities, catering companies, cruise lines, casinos and guesthouses. Apart from this, an Executive Chef can also start his own catering company. The graph provided below will provide you with a detailed understanding of the employment opportunities available for an Executive Chef.
Some of the major recruiting companies for Executive Chef are listed below.
The Taj Mahal Palace Mumbai
The Leela Palace Udaipur
The Lodhi New Delhi
The Leela Palace New Delhi
The Oberoi New Delhi
The Oberoi Rajvilas
Taj Falaknuma Palace
The average salary of an Executive Chef will vary according to his skills and experience.
Candidates who have some experience in menu planning, budget preparation and inventory management can earn up to 8 lakh per annum.
Those who are working in top reputed and luxury hotels of India may earn more in comparison to those working in small restaurants.
Profile | Starting Salary per annum (in INR) | Mid Level Salary per annum (in INR) | Senior Level Salary per annum (INR) |
Executive Chef | 4,95,000 | 8,50,000 | 15,10,000 |
Here are some recommended books for Executive Chef.
The Tummy Trilogy by Calvin Trillin
On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee
The Flavor Bible by Andrew Dornenburg & Karen Page
On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan
Becoming a Chef by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen A. Page
The Devil in the Kitchen by Marco Pierre White
This profile will help you express your creativity
Executive Chef profile is one of the highest-paid profile in hotel management
You may start your own business such as a catering company or a hotel
Numerous job opportunities are available for an Executive Chef
You will be working 12 hours a day. Sometimes you will have to work during the weekend also
This profile requires you to be physically as well as mentally active
If you are aiming to work at any five-star restaurant, you really have to work hard
You will have to be updated with new dishes and techniques
Take our test and find out if it suits your strengths.
Some of the major recruiters available for an Executive Chef are The Leela Palace New Delhi, The Oberoi New Delhi, The Oberoi Rajvilas and Taj Falaknuma Palace.
An Executive Chef can apply to restaurants, hospitals and medical centres, corporate facilities, catering companies, cruise lines, spas, convention centres, resorts, casinos and guesthouses.
You must have completed a bachelor’s degree in culinary arts or hotel management in order to become an Executive Chef. Some of the companies hire candidates who have completed a master’s degree.
Some of the other profiles available for an Executive Chef are Head Chef, Kitchen Manager, Restaurant Manager, Catering Manager and Food and Beverage Manager.
Some of the staff members and Chefs that work under Executive Chef are Sous Chef, Line Chef, Line Cook, Pastry Chef and Grill Chef.
This profile allows you to utilise your creative skills for creating new menus and dishes for the restaurant. Besides this, you can also start your own business.
You must have at least 5+ years of experience in hotel management to become an Executive Chef.
Some of the skills required to be an Executive Chef are excellent communication skills, time management skills, organisation skills and leadership skills.
The main duty of the Executive Chef is to develop a menu and train the team of sous chefs, cooks and dishwashers. He also cooks dishes and coordinates with the kitchen staff whenever required.
An Executive Chef manages the work of cooks and other staff members working in the kitchen. Besides this, he is responsible for training new staff members.